cypripedium

[ sip-ruh-pee-dee-uh m ]

/ ˌsɪp rəˈpi di əm /

noun

any orchid of the genus Cypripedium, comprising the lady's-slippers.

Nearby words

cyprinodont, cyprinoid, cypriot, cypriot syllabary, cypriote, cypripedium, cypris, cypro-, cyproheptadine, cyproterone, cyprus

Origin of cypripedium

1765–75; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin Cypri(a) Venus + -pedi- -ped + -um neuter ending

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cypripedium

The "column" (B) in the cypripedium is very distinctive, and from the front view is very non-committal.
My Studio Neighbors|William Hamilton Gibson
Presently he observed a flower—a Cypripedium; the shape could not be mistaken.
The Woodlands Orchids|Frederick Boyle
Every evening they brought in a load of orchids more or less valuable, but never Cypripedium Curtisii.
The Woodlands Orchids|Frederick Boyle
The botanical name of the flower is Cypripedium, taken from Greek words meaning the shoe of Venus.
The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier|Charles E. Flandrau

Cypripedium acaule, moccasin-flower; ladies'-slipper; Venus's-slipper, 205.
My Studio Neighbors|William Hamilton Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for cypripedium

cypripedium

/ (ˌsɪprɪˈpiːdɪəm) /

noun

any orchid of the genus Cypripedium, having large flowers with an inflated pouchlike lipSee also lady's-slipper

any cultivated tropical orchid of the genus Paphiopedilum, having yellow, green, or brownish-purple waxy flowers

Word Origin for cypripedium

C18: from New Latin, from Latin Cypria the Cyprian, that is, Venus + pēs foot (that is, Venus' slipper)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012